Week 5: Teaching Young LearnersGrammar and Vocabulary

Agenda• Homework: Discuss• Very Young Learners: Grammar and Vocab• Young Learners Activities

– Go Fish– Guessing Games– Battleship– Movie Segments– Posters– I Have, Who Has– Vocab Cubes– Vocab Dialogues

First, two big questions:

• Is it OK to make grammar mistakes in class?

• Is the teacher responsible for correcting every grammar error?

HOMEWORK

Work with a partner. Go over answers.

Answers

1) Acquiring , Learning2) Explicit3) Implicitly4) Chunks5) Fun, meaningful, themes, narratives6) Meaning7) Error correction, accuracy

GRAMMAR FOR VERY YOUNG LEARNERS

Ideas from the Lecture

– Pattern Books (Brown Bear, etc.)

– Songs (Mr. Monkey)

– Classroom commands• “Give out the papers” “Give out the white papers”

“Give out the white papers that are on my desk”

– Games

Systematic ELD: A Focused Approach

• A common American way to teach grammar patterns to very young learners

Think-Pair-Share

• What did you think Systematic ELD?

• What are the pros of teaching very young learners this way?

• What are the cons?

A FEW VERSATILE GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES

GO FISH!

Go Fish!

• All ages of YLs, all levels (but better for beginner-intermediate)

• Primary Focus:Vocabulary (and some grammar)

Instructions:1. Each player takes 4 cards.– Hide them!

2. Put the rest in the middle of the table.

3. Take turns. Try to make pairs with cards you have.– “______, do you have a ______?”

• “Sorry, I don’t. Go fish!”• “Yes, I do. Here you go!”

4. Pairs=put the on the table. – Winner=most pairs!

Think-Pair-Share

• What did you think of the game?– Pros? Cons?

• What grammar forms could you use in place of:– “Do you have ____?” – “Sorry, I don’t.”– “Yes, I do.”

Other Variations

GUESSING GAMES

Guessing GamesLevel: All levels (just adjust)

Ages: All ages (just adjust)

Objective: 1. Practice Y/N questionsand short answers in a fun way. 2. Practice descriptive grammar forms. 3. Use target vocabulary.

Variation #1: Magic Bag• Whole Class

• 1 student chooses a card and hides it.

• Other students ask questions. – Nouns: Is it _____? / Do you use it to ___?– Does it _____?

• After 5 questions, students can start guessing the card. – Is it a _____? – Yes, it is. – No, it isn’t.

Variation #2: Play in Pairs

• 1 student chooses a card and hides it.

• The other student asks questions. – Nouns: Is it _____? / Do you use it to ___?

• After 5 questions, the student can start guessing the card. – Is it a _____?

• Yes, it is. • No, it isn’t.

Variation #3: Hot Seat

Variation #4: Celebrity

Round 1: Describe using as many words as possible!

Round 2: Describe using only 1 word!

Round 3: Describe using only actions—no words!

Think-Pair-Share

• Do you think you’ll use guessing games in the future (or have you already done these in class)?

• If you want to use guessing games—how will you do it?

• What grammar forms could you practice with these games?

BATTLESHIP

Battleship

• Ages: All • Levels: Mostly beginner-early intermediate

Battleship

1) Look at the top table.

2) Choose 1 box in each row. Draw a “battleship” in the box.

3) Find a friend to play with you, but don’t look at your friend’s paper!– Decide: Who’s Partner 1? Who’s Partner 2?

My Battleships:

Battleship (cont.)4) Fold you paper under the first box.

5) Partner 1 will look only at the top of the page. • Partner 2 will look only at the bottom.

5) Partner 2 will ask 2 questions for each row. – (Do you have __ on __?)

6) Partner 1 answers• “Yes, I do” = Partner 2 marks an X• “No, I don’t” = Partner 2 marks a dot

7) Switch roles when you finish the last row!

8) The winner is the person who “sunk” the most battleships!

Think-Pair-Share

• Do you think you’ll use battleship in the future?

• Pros of this activity? Cons?

• What grammar forms and vocabulary could use with this game?

Assessment

MOVIE SEGMENTS TO ASSESS GRAMMAR GOALS

Blog

VOCABULARY

For beginners . . .

• It’s all about filling the refrigerator.

• Vocabulary instruction should be thematic.

• It should be taught with appropriate sentence frames, too.

For example . . .

• Family Vocabulary– Frame: I have a ____ / 1 have 2/3 ___s.

• Weather Vocabulary – It is ______. / It is ____ in the _____. – When it is _____, I like to ______.

Beginners

• Re-use and recycle vocabulary hundreds of times!

• Games, games, games!

• Meaningful activities: Songs, books, projects, etc.

VOCABULARY: RECYCLING ACTIVITIES FOR BEGINNERS

POSTERS

Posters

• Practice writing: Groups write on them with whiteboard markers

• “Teacher, Student”: Students quiz each other using the answerson the back

• Sticky Ball or Fly Swatters

Realia

• Buy at a teacher supply store or toy store• Bring in real stuff!

I HAVE ____, WHO HAS ____?

Directions

• Star person = first– “ I have a/an _____.”

• Person with that animal responds. – Answer and question

• 2nd Round=timed

Think-Pair-Share

• What did you think of the activity? – Pros? Cons?

• What were you practicing? Which skills?

• Aside from vocab, what elsecould you teach with this game?

Pinterest—I Have, Who Has

• Or “ESL I have who has”

When the refrigerator is filling up . . .

• Do more intensive word work!

• What does it mean to “own” a word? You know . . – Spelling– Definition– Pronunciation– The part of speech (how to use it in a sentence)– Synonyms/Antonyms– Some common collocations – Count/non-count?

Robert Marzano

Some helpful organizers . . .

Organizers . . .

Practice! Use the words in different ways.

Think-Pair-Share

• What did you think of the activity? – Pros? Cons?

• Did it challenge you in new ways?

Vocabulary Cubes

1. Write 10 or more vocabulary words on the board.

2. Choose 6. Write them on the lines.

cupboard knife spoon plate Sink

stove fridge Bowl Frying pan

Trash can

3. Roll the dice.

4. Read your instructions.

5. Write on the paper. – Your partner guesses the word.

WRITE A STORY OR DIALOGUE USING ALL (OR SOME) OF THE VOCABULARY WORDS!

Vocabulary Dialogue

Important Points to Remember

• Grammar– Very young learners=implicit instruction– Older young learners=implicit and a little explicit– Teach with vocabulary

• Vocabulary– Fill up the refrigerator quickly!– Recycle words using different activities– Use words in different and increasingly more challenging

ways (definition, sentence, part of speech, etc.)

Did you learn something new that you’d like to use in the future?